Grassroots Action Guide for Gun Owners

8/14/2019 Grassroots Action Guide for Gun Owners

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The

Grassroots

Action GuideforOhio Gun Owners

Paid for by Buckeye Firearms Association, Mary Friscone, Treasurer. 15 West Winter Street, Delaware, Ohio 43015

Page 1 5-Minute Handbook for Grassroots Activists

Page 6 How to Be an Effective Volunteer

Page 8 15 Ways to Fight for Our Second Amendment Rights

Page 15 Become 500 Times More Powerful Politically

Page 20 Gun Rights Are About More Than Guns

Page 22 A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality

BuckeyeFirearmsAssociation


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Copyright 2008 Buckeye Firearms Association and the respective authors. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Stay up-to-date on Ohio gun laws and elections at www.BuckeyeFirearms.org

5-Minute Handbook for Grassroots Activists

Adapted from an essay circulating the Internet author unknown

Ive been a gun rights activist for nearly 10 years. I wasted a lot of time for

the first 5 years because no one gave me the rule book you are now reading.Maybe thats because no one had written it. This is the stuff I wish I hadknown starting on Day One.

The next 5 minutes you spend reading this might save you 5 years of other-wise wasted time and energy. If youve been in the gun rights game for awhile, this handbook will be the fastest refresher course youve ever taken.

This past year Ive received a lot of mail from jittery gun owners who arefinally waking up to whats happening to our right to keep and bear

arms(RKBA). This handbook is mostly for them.

If the rules I list below scare off a few folks, so be it. I want to tell it like itreally is to give a quick snapshot of the tips, tricks and tactics that actuallywork in RKBA activism.

The bad news is that this is not a complete list of the rules.

The good news is that there will never be a complete list of rules.

The rules listed below are based on my own experience from working thou-

sands of hours with down and dirty RKBA activist pros. I am deeply gratefulto all of them. They know who they are.

Some of these rules have been followed for so long by old-time activists thatthey have forgotten what the original rules were.

Its time to list them again. And sneak in a couple of new ones. So read themand weep, or read them and rejoice.

No one is as interested as you are.Nowadays everyones attention span and time are limited. Be grateful if youget anyones attention on our issue, even for a few seconds. Some wannabeactivists come in even faster, then disappear faster. Take whatever you getfrom any volunteer. Praise and thank them. Dont be disappointed when theydrift away. They will. But some come back. Keep the light on for them.

Gun rights groups stink.At the same time, these organizations are the best thing since sliced bread.

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We wont keep our rights without them. Its normal to love them and hatethem at the same time. Be sure your complaints about them go to the personwho can do something about your problem. Never give up your membership its much easier to fix things from the inside. Avoid griping in public ouropponents love it when we do. Always handle our dirty laundry behind

closed doors. Always.

There is no magic bullet.There is no single answer, rule, or solution. Never has been, and never willbe. None of us will write the single brilliant letter to the editor or Internetmessage that will miraculously turn everything around. Keep steadily busy.Do as much as you can, whenever you can. Anything you do counts, but somethings count more than others. Find out what counts. Then do it.

There is no final victory.Preserving RKBA is an ongoingprocess.We are winning and losing battles

during this process, but the war will never be over. Becoming active to keepyour gun rights is a lot like cleaning your house: its thankless and boringwork, but necessary. Like dirt, the anti-gun crowd will just keep coming back.Forever. Your activism will keep us winning more than losing. Our oppo-nents count on wearing us down. They love it when one of us (not you, ofcourse) gets discouraged and drops out. When you fully understand andaccept the reality that RKBA is a never-ending struggle, youre automaticallyin the top 5 percent of all RKBA defenders. Congratulations.

RKBA activism is boring.

Its especially boring when you are doing things that really make a difference.Most of us want drama. We want to be entertained. Phone bank calling,precinct walking, going to RKBA grassroots seminars suddenly, even a tripto the dentist for a root canal will start to look better. Sorry, but there is noworkaround on this aspect. Freedom is not free. Its a pain in the ass. Getused to it, get over it, and get to work.

Use the power of fear and guilt.Gun owners are susceptible to these emotions. Awaken sleeping RKBAactivists by tapping these powerful emotions. Fear and guilt will move moun-tains and fill the collection plate, and recruit new members. If gun owners

wont become active for themselves, ask them to do it for their families. Fortheir children. For their country. And this tactic works! ask them to doit for you.

Watch out for misdirected, time-wasting efforts.E-mail to elected people should be used only as a last resort unless theofficial already personally knows you. Focus on the stuff that works. If youregoing to hunt ducks, go where the ducks are. (E-mail is a lotbetter than


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nothing. If your only choice between doing e-mail and doing nothing, by allmeans, send e-mail to legislators!)

Politicians only care about votes and money.In-person visits, phone calls, and snail-mailed, handwritten letters to elected

folks help because politicians know that if you take this much trouble, youand your family and friends will also vote.

HOT TIP:Make yourself known to politicians for issues other than gun rights. Dontpresent yourself as a single-issue person. Praise and help politicians on theirpet projects. Then, when a new gun control law comes up, your opinion willseem especially credible. Otherwise, you will soon be stereotyped and dis-counted as a single-issue voter.

Another HOT TIP:

Politicians have to explain why they vote Yes or No on proposed laws.Sometimes they really need your help in composing explanations to theirconstituents. If you want your elected official to vote No on a seemingly pop-ular new gun control law, she might be more willing to vote your way if yougive her a back door a good, common sense explanation that she can giveto all of her constituents.

Get the right people in office in the first place.If we have the right people in power, anti-gun laws will not be passed.Period. The laws are what matter. This concept is so simple that many folks

cant see it, just like they cant see the air they breath. The anti-rightscrowd can hold all the gun control seminars and news conferences they want,but nothing will happen unless they can pass more laws. This fact tells youabout the how, what, where, when, why, and with whom you should bespending your time, energy, and money. Politicians pass laws. Therefore, youmust get involved in politics to protect your gun rights. There is just no wayto get around this. Sorry. I dont like politics either. Bummer!

Stop the saber rattling NOW!Avoid those shrill folks who sound threatening or talk about doomsday. Its awaste of your time. These noisy folks remind me of a couple in a failing mar-

riage who only talk about a getting a divorce instead of talking about theirreal problems. If they dont solve their problems, separation or divorcebecomes the inevitable outcome. Some people get pumped up on silly fantasyscenarios. I do not.

Arm yourself with accurate information.Paradoxically, bad information or disinformation is a plague in the so-calledInformation Age. When you write or talk about firearms issues, use only the


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hundred, and Buckeye Firearms Association has a group of about ten keyvolunteers who donate hours in the triple digits each week. There is no wayhumanly possible that we can put out all the brush fires started by the anti-rights crowd. Pro-gun national organizations give direction and information but they cannot save your rights. Onlyyou can save yourrights. You are

100 percent responsible. When you fully accept this reality, you are automat-ically in the top one percent of all RKBA activists.

The hidden bonus of gun rights activism.The more involved you get with firearms freedom, the more you will realizethat your single issue actually complements and protects other human rightsissues. Personally, I am deeply offended by many aspects of todays culture.When I focus my activism on RKBA, I can often sense I am making a meas-urable difference. All rights like all humans are connected.

When in doubt, just DO something.

Sometimes we dont know what will work. Sometimes the rule is that thereare no rules. I once wrote an essay I thought was mediocre at best. Five yearslater, Im still receiving mail about it. Dont hesitate to try something newand innovative get it out on the table! Often your finest essay or brilliantletter will not be acknowledged, or you will just get a form letter response.But that letter to the editor that you dashed off in a few minutes appears intomorrows newspaper! Go figure. Better yet, try not to figure. Trust yourself,trust your instincts and just do something.

Ill see you in the trenches.


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How to Be an Effective Volunteer

Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots political action committee(PAC) dedicated to one issue: gun rights in Ohio. We defend and advance therights of citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including

self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation.We work to elect pro-guncandidates and lobby for pro-gun legislation.

We are a non-partisan, all-volunteer organization. In fact, volunteers like youprovide the muscle for our work. We need YOU to help hand out literature,write legislators, put up posters, run special events, and more.

Volunteering can be fun and rewarding, but it carries some responsibility aswell. When you work as a volunteer, your words and actions reflect onBuckeye Firearms Association. If you want to act as a totally free agent, thats

fine. If you want act as a volunteer for us, you need to realize that you arepart of a successful team.

Here is what we expect from ALL of our volunteers:

Act in the best interests of gun owners.As a volunteer, you are on thefront lines of the fight between gun rights and gun control. Everything yousay or do should be directed toward helping the cause and aiding BuckeyeFirearms Association. Think before you speak. Keep in mind that what youdo affects all of us.

Pitch in.We need a lot of help with a lot of things. If we need help withsomething specific, well ask. However, you dont have to wait for an invita-tion. If you have a special skill or a good idea, let us know. If you want to putup posters or hand out our wallet cards or brochures, contact us. This is thesort of initiative that we love.

Show up. This is probably more important than anything else. There aremore than enough people who talk about gun rights. What we need are peo-ple who DO things. About 10 percent of our success is great ideas, but 90percent is the result of people just SHOWING UP!

Be patient. Theres no quick fix and no magic bullet. Changing the lawstakes lots of work and lots of time. Were effective because we never give up.If youre looking for a quick resolution to every problem, youre going to findthis sort of work frustrating. If you stand firm and keep working with us, itwill eventually pay dividends.

Keep up-to-date on the issues.You dont need to be an expert on politics


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or the law, but it helps when you are reasonably familiar with your legislatorsand the laws we are either fighting or supporting. The best way to keep up isto subscribe to Buckeye Firearms News and visit BuckeyeFirearms.org fre-quently. Our website is Ohios most complete source for up-to-the-minutenews on progun laws, candidates, and events.

Be courteous at all times. There is no excuse for treating anyone in arude or disrespectful way. That includes those who hold different ideas onthe gun rights issue. How you act is far more important than what you saywhen dealing with people. Dont get angry. Keep your cool.

Dress neatly and be well groomed.You should be clean and dressed ina presentable way at all times. If you show up at the Statehouse, you shouldwear business attire. For informal events, neat casual clothing is fine.We arein the public eye, so we want to present a professional appearance. When indoubt, ask.

Dont badmouth other gun groups.We all have a different approach orarea of focus, but ultimately were all on the same side. When you run downany gun organization, you do harm to all of us. If you dont have somethinggood to say, dont say anything at all.

Dont bash politicians on our side of the issue. No one is perfect. Andyou will inevitably be disappointed with politicians from time to time. But wecant afford to alienate a candidate or representative who supports us. Theyare professional and personal friends.We need their help.

Never represent yourself as a spokesman.You are part of our family,but unless you have express permission, you are NOT to speak for BuckeyeFirearms Association. This includes personal conversations, statements tothe press, chat rooms, blogs, and communications with candidates or law-makers. We must stay on message, and you may not know specifically whatthat message is. If you say the wrong thing, it could be used against us.Simply refer people to one of our Leaders.

Never, ever be under the influence.What you do on your own time isyour own business. But you cannot be under the influence of alcohol or ille-

gal drugs at any time while acting as a volunteer.

Have fun!Yes, being a volunteer can be a lot of work sometimes. But itsalso rewarding. Its something you can be proud of. If you show up regularly,you will have an opportunity to socialize with like-minded gun owners andmake life-long friends. And not everything is difficult. Even if you just do afew small jobs now and then, you can make an important contribution to thecause and have a blast!


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15 Ways To Fight For Our Second Amendment Rights

By Chris Chumita

The fight to keep our Second Amendment rights has had some impressive

victories lately. In the past few years, we have seen more states begin to allowcitizens to carry concealed firearms, the repeal of the Clinton Assault RifleBan, and the recent passage of the Lawful Commerce In Arms Act.

Despite these victories, now is not the time for us to become complacentabout our Second Amendment rights. In fact, it is under attack in ways thatwe have only feared. For example, we have seen the passage of an AssaultRifle Ban in Columbus, Ohio, a voter approved gun ban in San Francisco,and the confiscation of firearms from law abiding citizens during a naturaldisaster in Louisiana.

Now, more than ever, we have to fight to protect out Second Amendmentrights. Below are 15 easy things that you can do to help. You do not have todo all 15 to join the fight, but if everyone could just do one of them, it wouldhelp gun owners everywhere.

1. Join the NRA.The NRA (National Rifle Association) is without question, the most powerfulpro-Second Amendment organization. I think that it would be safe to saythat if it werent for them, we would have lost our Second Amendment rightsa long time ago. The NRA has been there for every national Second

Amendment victory for over the last 100 years.

With over 4 million members, they are a consistently ranked the most pow-erful lobbying organization in Washington. The politicians in WashingtonD.C. know that when the NRA speaks, they are speaking for over 4 millionpeople. So if you are not a NRA member, join today.

If you are a member, renew it today. Better yet, become a life member. If youare financially able to do so, donate to the ILA (Institute of LegislativeAffairs) and the PVF (Political Victory Fund). Personally, a majority of mydonations go to the NRA. Make it a goal to sign up three new NRA membersa year.

During the holiday season, remember that NRA memberships make greatgifts. In a way, you are giving them the gift of freedom. In addition to theirpolitical work, the NRA provides firearms education and publishes severalexcellent magazines. The magazines are a great way to get someone who doesnot support the NRA to learn what they really stand for.


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2. Support Other National Second Amendment Organizations.There are several other Second Amendment organizations that deserve oursupport. These organizations may have a slightly different approach from theNRA, but they are fighting for the same goal. These organizations include theSecond Amendment Foundation and the USCCA (United States Concealed

Carry Association).

However, some people argue that the NRA and other Second Amendmentorganizations compromise too much. That is one reason I would recommendalso supporting a No Compromise Second Amendment organization. Theseorganizations generally refuse to surrender any of our Second Amendmentrights for any reason. I would recommend the GOA (Gun Owners OfAmerica). You can investigate the different organizations by visiting theirwebsites.

3. Support Special Interest Second Amendment Organizations.

Sometimes, it can be very hard to get some people to listen to pro-SecondAmendment organizations. Many people blindly assume that the NRA, GOA,and other organizations are just crazy gun nuts. However, they might listento a Special Interest Second Amendment organization before they wouldlisten to the NRA or GOA. Many of these organizations are based on minoritystatus, or some other special interest.

In most cases, you can join one of the Special Interest Second Amendmentorganizations even if you are not a minority or fall into whatever special cate-gory they represent. For example, I am not Jewish, but I support the JPFO

(Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership). The JPFO is a NoCompromise organization that tries to make people understand that guncontrol often leads to genocide.

I also support the LEAA (Law Enforcement Alliance of America). The LEAAis a police based organization that supports the Second Amendment forpolice officers and citizens. They were instrumental in getting the NationalCarry For Police passed. There are women-based organizations such as theSecond Amendment Sisters and the Liberty Belles. One organization thatpeople are surprised to learn about is the Pink Pistols. They are a pro-SecondAmendment homosexual organization.

4. Support Your Local Second Amendment Organizations.Many people fail to realize the importance of state level organizations.Because of their nature, they are usually more in touch with the grassrootsthan the big national organizations. Their power comes from their ability toorganize many individuals to deliver a unified message to the legislature.They are also effective in taking many individual suggestions to nationalorganizations like the NRA, who can lend immense political pressure.


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It is not one or the other. You need to be involved in several organizationstoday. A good state organization will work together with the NRA.Unfortunately, the state and local organizations are easily neglected, becausethe national organizations can seem to take a greater precedence.Sometimes, the national organizations are often too busy on the national

level to fight at the local and state levels.

This is where your state or local organization comes in. Find out who yourlocal organizations are and support them. For example, I have recentlybecome active with Buckeye Firearms Association. They are an Ohio-basedorganization that is solely concerned with the interests of Ohios gun owners.

The local organizations are always in the need of volunteers to hand outinformation, make phone calls, or campaign for local pro-SecondAmendment politicians, and other activities. Campaigning for a pro-gun can-didate is probably the area where the local or state level organizations need

the most help.

Jim Irvine, chairman of Buckeye Firearms Association, says, If you have aperson who is willing to go to the statehouse and fight for your rights for twoyears, you owe that person two days of your time for his/her campaign.Everyone is busy, but you make time for the important things. This is impor-tant. Contact your NRA EVC or a good statewide organization and help theirendorsed candidates. Your help gives power to the organization, and buildsrespect in the legislature. Each new person makes a difference.

5. Contact Your Local, State, and National Representatives.Write to your local, state, and national representatives and let them knowhow you feel about the Second Amendment. Send them a letter thankingthem or asking for their support. If they are against the Second Amendment,write them a letter to ask them why. Challenge them. Frame your argumentin terms of why are you against my (or my wifes/sisters/mothers/grandfa-thers) right to defend ourselves from a killer/rapist?

Discuss the benefits of gun ownership by giving them the facts, and use thatinformation to discredit the anti-gun arguments. However, make sure thatyou are polite and DO NOT make any threats. All gun owners should consid-

er campaigning for pro-Second Amendment candidates and vote on electionday!

6. Get your Concealed Handgun License.If you support the Second Amendment, you should get your CHL even if younever plan on carrying a firearm. Its sad to say, but its a numbers game. Themore people who have the permits, the more powerful our voices become. Inthe rare circumstance that a CHL-holder commits a crime with a firearm, the


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my first gun. Keeping good stores in business helps us recruit new gun own-ers which are crucial in protecting our Second Amendment rights.

10. Support Gun Shows.You dont know what you are missing if you havent been to a gun show.

They are often packed with table after table of guns, and other gun relatedmerchandise. They are a great place to try to find a rare firearm, and to lookat a large number of firearms that you dont get to see everyday.

If you have been paying attention to the fight for our Second Amendmentrights, you know that gun shows are under attack. Some counties and citiesare banning them or doing their best to make it an unpleasant experience forattendees. Start supporting the gun shows in your area or they will become athing of the past. You may also bump into a pro-gun legislator. Is there a bet-ter time to talk to him/her about Second Amendment issues?

11. Share Your Gun Magazines.I am a compulsive reader and I often horde my old magazines. Every once inawhile (to keep the fiance happy) I end up throwing away a bunch of my oldSecond Amendment, and gun related magazines. After dumping my lastbatch I thought of a better way to dispose of them. How about leaving themin the waiting room of various places that you visit? Hopefully, someone willthumb through a copy of a magazine like Concealed Carry Magazine and itwill spark an interest.

If the magazine is from a subscription, dont forget to cut off your personal

information before leaving it behind. Another way to share your magazines isto donate a subscription to the library. Some Libraries will gladly accept sub-scriptions to magazines. If yours does, donate a subscription to ConcealedCarry Magazine, the various NRA magazines, or another gun related maga-zine such as Guns and Ammo.

12. Advertise Your Right.Buy and wear some outfits that tell others that you support the SecondAmendment. The NRA has a great selection of high quality clothing.However, you should be careful not to wear any pro-Second Amendmentclothing that has what can be perceived to be sexist, racist, or threatening.

Avoid T-Shirts that have sayings such as Trespassers Will be Shot, SurvivorsWill Be Shot Again or similar messages. They may funny to some, but theydo nothing but add to the violent gun owner stereotype.

13. Write To Your Local Papers.Dont let anti-gun biases go unchallenged. Write a letter to the editor whenever you see an anti-gun article or bias. Also, write letters to the editorexplaining the benefits of CCW laws and the Second Amendment.


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14. Stay Informed.There are too many gun owners who do nothing to help fight for our SecondAmendment rights. Before you can act, you have to know what is going on.Probably the best magazine to be informed of what is going with the SecondAmendment politics is the NRA magazine Americas First Freedom. In

addition, read magazines such as Concealed Carry, Combat Handguns, andAmerican Handgunner. Frequent pro-gun websites such as Packing.org, andKeepandbeararms.com.

Dont forget to listen to the NRA news show, Cam & Company, on SiriusSatellite radio. Cam & Company can also be heard on line at NRAnews.com.And, of course, subscribe to Buckeye Firearms News. All of these will helpkeep you informed of the different firearms, accessories, tactics, and othersafety information.

15. Introduce Someone To The Shooting Sports.

Make it a yearly goal to introduce at least 3 people to the shooting sports andfirearms every year. The most important area to concentrate is women andchildren. Women only make up a small percentage of shooters. Women arenow the fastest growing segment of gun ownership. Educate the women inyour life about using a gun for self-defense. It may save their life.

Also, going to the range can be a great bonding experience for you and yoursignificant other. I really enjoy the time I spend on the range with my fiance(even if she can almost outshoot me after only 3 trips to the range).

In addition to women, we need to teach children about their SecondAmendment rights. I dont think I need to explain how the schools andmedia are brain washing our children to be anti-gun. I know its an over usedclich, but the children are our future. One of the best ways to secure ourSecond Amendment rights for the future is to introduce firearms and shoot-ing to children at an early age. Supervised trips to the range help teachmarksmanship and responsibility.

Every gun owner should be doing as many of these suggestions as possible.Many do all of them, and more. Decide what you are capable of doing andstart expanding your involvement from there. The anti-gunners do not have

the power to beat us, but we are fighting back from losses suffered as a resultof our complacency in the past.

Its up to each of us to never again give up ground to those who would dis-arm us. We only have to look to the events that happened a few months agoto see that we have to worry about losing our Second Amendment rights.

I was horrified when I saw the reports of the gun confiscation in Louisiana


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after Hurricane Katrina, and the passage of the handgun ban in SanFrancisco. Litigation may have stopped the gun confiscations in Louisiana,but we cant forget that it happened. If it happened there, it can happen inyour home town. Its time to get serous about your Second Amendment rightsbefore its too late.


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Become 500 Times More Powerful Politically

Although written from a partisan standpoint, this non-partisan PACbelieves the tactical political information contained herein is important forALL gun owners to consider, regardless of party. For the record, Buckeye

Firearms Association has no stance on any issue other than gun rights.

The Most Powerful Office in the World is Not the Presidency of the UnitedStates!!

I was a Precinct Committeeman for 16 years and I eagerly encourage othersto do likewise. - Phyllis Schlafly, President, Eagle Forum

I hope this (essay) gets wide distribution. - Hon. U.S. Rep. Phillip M. Crane

I admit it. The title of this essay is a little misleading. George W. Bush is themost powerful man in the world, so technically, the U.S. Presidency is theMost Powerful Office in the World. But what if I told you there is anotherpublic office that (ultimately) chooses who will be President plus virtuallyevery other elected official in the U. S.? If that were true, wouldnt that office(ultimately) be the Most Powerful Office in the World?

Conservatives take pride in their knowledge of the Constitution and the out-ward forms of American Government. Many can quote the FoundingFathers: The least governed are the best governed (Jefferson),Government is like fire, a useful servant but a deadly master (George

Washington), etc. We work hard electing a few tokens (like Reagan). But thebottom line is, we know next to nothing about the real system of Americangovernment, which isnt the fairy tale were taught in school.

Thats why years after the Reagan Revolution taxes (and tax-funded abor-tions) are up, the real Federal debt (with Social Security and other Federalpension liabilities) continues to skyrocket, government regulations and man-dates multiply like rabbits. Public schools, the Second Amendment, gayrights I dare you to find one public policy issue that isnt worse from aconservative perspective!

If you are tired of seeing things continue to go down the drain, you mustunderstand how liberals dominate our government. You must understandthe seven laws of American government:

1. If you want to change things, change the laws.Remember all the nonsense we learned in school about Coequal Branches ofGovernment? Actually the Founding Fathers made Congress far and away


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the most powerful branch because it was closest to the people.The President cant spend a dime unless Congress authorizes it. Congress canreject treaties and Presidential appointments, mandate programs thePresident doesnt want (by overriding vetoes) and even determine if theSupreme Court can rule on a case (Article III, section 2, ...the Supreme

Court shall have original Jurisdiction...with such exceptions and under suchRegulations as the Congress shall make.)!

Because our state constitutions are modeled after the Federal Constitution,its the same story at the local level. Governors and State Supreme CourtJustices have some influence, but ultimate power lies in the same legislaturethat passes the laws and determines what happen in our society.Unfortunately, most legislatures are dominated by liberals.

2. To change laws, change the lawmakers.No citizens or group can possibly keep up with the thousands of laws passed

each year by U.S. legislatures. Sure, a big protest campaign can change a voteor two. But after all the shouting is over, sometime down the road, liberallegislators quietly pass whatever they wanted in the first place. Theres reallyno substitute for legislators we can count on whether our eyes are on them ornot.

3. Our people have to be on the ballot to get elected.When was the last time you were really enthusiastic about a candidate? Howoften do you vote for the lesser of two evils? Ever wonder why, despite therhetoric, both major parties promote anti-conservative policies after they are

elected?

4. To get on the ballot, our people must win a major party primary.Except in very rare cases, everyone we elect in the fall wins a major party pri-mary. Because one party usually dominates a district, 90% of legislative seatsare actually decided in the dominant party primary, not in the fall. Usuallyno more than 20% of registered voters bother to vote in these all importantprimaries.

In dominant party primaries with multiple candidates (very common after anincumbent retires), less than 7% of registered voters determine who goes to

the legislature (Campaigns and Elections magazine says 108 major-partynominations for governor or U.S. Senate in the 1990s went to candidateswho won with less than 50% of the primary vote). Since only about half ofthe eligible population bothers to register to vote, I estimate about 4% aretelling all the rest of us what to do!

Some naive conservatives fall for third party appeals of conservative lead-ers who are more interested in fundraising than results. But our winner take


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all system (like England and Canada) does not provide for proportional rep-resentation. Winning 10% of the votes in a general election gets us nothing.Winning 10% of the votes in the primary of the party that dominates a dis-trict usually wins a legislative seat.

5. Party endorsed candidates win the primary.Sometimes candidates endorsed by local party organizations lose primaries,but its rare. Endorsements mean you get party money plus party workerswho will pass out sample ballots with your name prominently endorsed.Primary voters are no different than anyone else. They dont have a lot oftime to study the qualifications of primary candidates and their stand on theissues. Usually they see the party endorsements, assume the Party knowsbest, and punch the appropriate holes.

There are state, ward and township party organizations, but the basic unit ofU.S. government is the county. In nearly every case, the party endorsements

the primary voter sees are made by a county executive committee. This exec-utive committee is usually elected by the countys precinct committeemen.These committeemen are elected in the party primary from every precinct(normally about 500 voters) in the county.

In some states, the office of precinct committeeman goes under anothername (in Michigan, they are called precinct delegates; in Ohio, it is precinctexecutive). Sometimes (as in Illinois Cook County), the county executivecommittee is elected by primary voters from an entire ward, township orcounty. But such widespread voting for a major partys county executive

committee is the exception, not the rule. Normally it is the locally electedprecinct committeemen who ultimately control endorsements.

Each state has slightly different rules for getting on the primary ballot forcommitteeman. For example, in Illinois (outside Cook County) you must filethe signatures of any 10 registered voters in your precinct 90 days before theprimary. In Ohio, you must file 5 signatures 75 days before the primary fromvoters who either voted in you partys primary or didnt vote in any primaryin the last two years. The rules (and the name of the office) may differ slight-ly from state to state, but its usually easy to get on the ballot to run as acommitteeman.

6. Its not necessary to have a majority of the county commit-teemen to influence the endorsement process.Heres how it works in my home county, Lake County, Illinois. Lake is mostlyRepublican. To advance their agenda, liberals get elected as Republican com-mitteemen. There are about 400 precincts in Lake. Normally about 100 arevacant, i.e., nobody ran for Republican committeeman in the last primary.Of the 300 or so elected committeemen, about 10% are conservatives, 15%


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are liberals and the rest are regulars mainly interested in patronage andpower who usually could care less about issues like abortion, gay rights, guncontrol, etc.

Say X and Y are running for Lake Countys executive committee. Each has

half of the regulars. Where are they going to get the necessary voters to geta majority? From 45 liberals or 30 conservatives? And once elected, who doyou think the winning candidate is going to endorse in the next primary aliberal Republican or a conservative? Thats why most of Lake Countys offi-cials vote liberal, despite an overwhelming Republican vote. Thats how 45people in a county of 520,000 control the endorsement process. In my coun-ty, its not 4% telling all the rest us what to do, its less than one hundredth of1%!!

Occasionally, some rich amateur will dump millions into a campaign andbecome a senator or governor overnight. But for the vast majority of politi-

cians, its a long, slow grind to the top. Each step of the ladder, they need aparty endorsement endorsements which in both parties are dominated byliberals. Is it any wonder why we get the government we do?

In summary, to change things, we must change the laws. To change the laws,we must change the people making them. To get elected , our people mustget on the ballot. To get on the ballot, they must win a major party primary.To win the primary, they should get endorsed by their party. To get a partyendorsement, we must find, train, and elect precinct committeemen who willin turn elect the people who make party endorsements. Precinct committee-

man is the most powerful office in the world because it is committeemen whoultimately determine who goes to Washington D.C. and our state capitol.

7. The most powerful office in the world is easy to get!Lake is typical among U.S. counties. 25% of the committeeman spots of thedominant party are normally vacant. In these precincts, if you get on theprimary ballot with no primary opponent, the only way you can lose isthrough an almost impossible write-in campaign.

In the other 75% of precincts, you will probably have to oust an incumbentcommitteeman (sometimes they withdraw rather than fight). But most

incumbent committeemen are patronage hacks who do little besides drop offparty literature and endorsements. (When was the last time any committee-man came to your door?). $50 for literature, a few weekends visiting thehundred or so homes that might vote in your partys primary and any dedi-cated conservative can win.

In my experience in Illinois, its very rare for a conservative who follows theformula above to lose to a Regular Republican committeeman even a


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regular who has had the office for decades. Ive even seen one issue zealotswho insisted on converting everyone to their cause (pro-life, gun rights, etc.)eke out wins. Those who follow our advice and say Id like to represent yourviews to the Republican Party. What do you think are the most importantissues? usually win 2 to 1.

Of course, being a conservative is harder in the Democratic party, but thereare many Reagan Democrat areas where conservatives can win and theDemocrat party is the only game in town. As the 1992 Presidential electionproved, its a mistake to put all our conservative eggs in one partys ricketybasket. Believe me, liberals never make that mistake. They always join thedominant party of their area, no matter which it is. Voting for the ExecutiveCommittee and determining those critical primary endorsement is by far themost important power of precinct committeeman, but there are others:

Access to Neighbors. The media makes conservatives look like kooks. No

wonder conservative politicians have problems. As the dominant partyscommitteeman, you can reach people who would never come to your church,social club or home. Most voters are eager to know about their governmentand the people they elect. Even the most apathetic have some interest in aninstitution that is taking about half their income in taxes, mandates and fees.

Respect from Politicians. Committeemen represent 500 voters and thosekey party endorsements. Any call or letter from a committeeman is going toget a lot of attention from elected officials of their own party.

Launching point for other offices. Running for committeeman is thebest place to start learning how to build winning coalitions. One of the bigproblems among conservatives is the notion that running for office is likerunning a business. Levelheaded businessmen, who wouldnt dream of beingtheir own lawyer in court, somehow think they can win against experienced,entrenched liberals without any prior political experience.

Control of party leaders and platforms. Committeemen influence orcontrol most party matters. If the Republicans dump pro-life and other con-servative positions from their party platform, it wont be because of electionresults. It will be due to a handful of liberals who have patiently wormed

their way to high party positions, starting as precinct committeeman.

Now you know how our Government actually works, just like the average lib-eral does. You can can continue to picket, write letters to the editor and yourCongressman or work in another losing, non endorsed primary campaign all the things that have gotten conservatives nowhere the last 60 years. Oryou can stop wasting time, run for precinct committeeman and start usingthe liberals secret weapon against them


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Gun Rights Are About More Than Guns

by Dean Rieck

When proponents of gun control listen to the arguments made by propo-

nents of gun rights, all they hear is guns. Thats what they think its allabout guns, guns, and more guns. And they couldnt be more wrong.

Thats the frustrating part about this particular policy debate. Gun controlactivists are so focused on guns, they cant see past the hardware. Theyre soafraid of pistols, they cant fathom why people own them. Theyre so con-founded by rifles, they dont understand why hunters love them.

They just dont get it. When those of us in the pro-gun camp talk about gunrights, were talking about more than guns. A lot more. Were talking about ...

The spirit of independence.

The ideal of self-reliance.

The celebration of tradition.

The discipline of marksmanship.

The satisfaction of putting food on the table.

The obligation of protecting ourselves and our families.

The pride of collecting and smithing.

The camaraderie of friends, family, and team mates.

And the sheer joy that comes from the doing of something, and doing it well.

Were talking about the history of a free country and how such a valuableprize requires such a high price and eternal vigilance.

Were talking about the faith in our founders who knew all too well that nocountry or king can be trusted with too much power and that evil can over-run any government from within or without.

Were talking about equality, not the feeble equality of words but the vigor-ous equality of citizens who stand firm in the face of adversity and refuse tobe the helpless victims of predators, bigots, and madmen.


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When we pay our dues to the NRA, and write our letters to the representa-tives, and cast our votes for the candidates who vow to protect the SecondAmendment, were talking about something thats far more than a gun,something that lives deep within us and puts a lump in our throats andbrings tears to our eyes.

When former NRA President Charlton Heston held aloft a muzzle loaderfrom the Revolutionary War and in a loud, firm voice declared to the worldthat it could only be taken from his cold, dead hands, every gun rights sup-porter knew exactly what he was talking about. And it wasnt about that rifle.

It was a challenge. But it was also a prayer, a voice lifted up in steely resolvecalling to Americans like you and me who hold in our hands something morepowerful than a gun, something that must be cherished and guarded eachday. Its something no one has ever invented a word for but which we allknow to be true.

Its that something that they just dont get. And they never will. But theyare not our enemies. They are simply people who dont understand. Our trueenemy is us. We are the enemy of our own freedom and liberty if we forgetwhat that something is. Because if we let that something wither and die, theywill take it from our cold, dead hands. And our children will never hold it oreven understand it. And America will never be the same.


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Raging Against Self Defense A PsychiatristExamines The Anti-Gun Mentality

By Sarah Thompson, M.D.

You dont need to have a gun; the police will protect you.

If people carry guns, there will be murders over parking spaces and neigh-borhood basketball games.

Im a pacifist. Enlightened, spiritually aware people shouldnt own guns.

Id rather be raped than have some redneck militia type try to rescue me.

How often have you heard these statements from misguided advocates of vic-

tim disarmament, or even woefully uninformed relatives and neighbors?Why do people cling so tightly to these beliefs, in the face of incontrovertibleevidence that they are wrong? Why do they get so furiously angry when gunowners point out that their arguments are factually and logically incorrect?

How can you communicate with these people who seem to be out of touchwith reality and rational thought?

One approach to help you deal with anti-gun people is to understand theirpsychological processes. Once you understand why these people behave so

irrationally, you can communicate more effectively with them.

Defense Mechanisms

Projection

About a year ago I received an e-mail from a member of a local Jewishorganization. The author, who chose to remain anonymous, insisted thatpeople have no right to carry firearms because he didnt want to be murderedif one of his neighbors had a bad day. (I dont know that this person is ahe, but Im assuming so for the sake of simplicity.) I responded by asking

him why he thought his neighbors wanted to murder him, and, of course, gotno response. The truth is that hes statistically more likely to be murdered bya neighbor who doesnt legally carry a firearm[1] and more likely to be shotaccidentally by a law enforcement officer.[2]

How does my correspondent know that his neighbors would murder him ifthey had guns? He doesnt. What he was really saying was that if he had a


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gun, he might murder his neighbors if he had a bad day, or if they took hisparking space, or played their stereos too loud. This is an example of whatmental health professionals call projection unconsciously projecting onesown unacceptable feelings onto other people, so that one doesnt have to ownthem.[3] In some cases, the intolerable feelings are projected not onto a per-

son, but onto an inanimate object, such as a gun,[4] so that the projectorbelieves the gun itself will murder him.

Projection is a defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are unconsciouspsychological mechanisms that protect us from feelings that we cannot con-sciously accept.[5] They operate without our awareness, so that we donthave to deal consciously with forbidden feelings and impulses. Thus, if youasked my e-mail correspondent if he really wanted to murder his neighbors,he would vehemently deny it, and insist that other people want to kill him.

Projection is a particularly insidious defense mechanism, because it not only

prevents a person from dealing with his own feelings, it also creates a worldwhere he perceives everyone else as directing his own hostile feelings back athim.[6]

All people have violent, and even homicidal, impulses. For example, its com-mon to hear people say Id like to kill my boss, or If you do that one moretime Im going to kill you. They dont actually mean that theyre going to, oreven would, kill anyone; theyre simply acknowledging anger and frustration.All of us suffer from fear and feelings of helplessness and vulnerability. Mostpeople can acknowledge feelings of rage, fear, frustration, jealousy, etc. with-

out having to act on them in inappropriate and destructive ways.

Some people, however, are unable consciously to admit that they have suchunacceptable emotions. They may have higher than average levels of rage,frustration, or fear. Perhaps they fear that if they acknowledge the hostilefeelings, they will lose control and really will hurt someone. They may believethat good people never have such feelings, when in fact all people havethem.

This is especially true now that education experts commonly prohibit chil-dren from expressing negative emotions or aggression. Instead of learning

that such emotions are normal, but that destructive behavior needs to becontrolled, children now learn that feelings of anger are evil, dangerous andsubject to severe punishment.[7] To protect themselves from being bad,they are forced to use defense mechanisms to avoid owning their own normalemotions. Unfortunately, using such defense mechanisms inappropriatelycan endanger their mental health; children need to learn how to deal appro-priately with reality, not how to avoid it.[8]


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(This discussion of psychological mechanisms applies to the average personwho is uninformed, or misinformed, about firearms and self-defense. It doesnot apply to the anti-gun ideologue. Fanatics like Charles Schumer know thefacts about firearms, and advocate victim disarmament consciously and will-fully in order to gain political power. This psychological analysis does not

apply to them.)

Denial

Another defense mechanism commonly utilized by supporters of gun controlis denial. Denial is simply refusing to accept the reality of a given situa-tion.[9] For example, consider a woman whose husband starts coming homelate, has strange perfume on his clothes, and starts charging flowers and jew-elry on his credit card. She may get extremely angry at a well-meaning friendwho suggests that her husband is having an affair. The reality is obvious, butthe wronged wife is so threatened by her husbands infidelity that she is

unable to accept it, and so denies its existence.

Anti-gun people do the same thing. Its obvious that we live in a dangeroussociety, where criminals attack innocent people. Just about everyone hasbeen, or knows someone who has been, victimized. Its equally obvious thatlaw enforcement cant protect everyone everywhere 24 hours a day.Extensive scholarly research demonstrates that the police have no legal dutyto protect you[10] and that firearm ownership is the most effective way toprotect yourself and your family.[11] There is irrefutable evidence that victimdisarmament nearly always precedes genocide.[12] Nonetheless, the anti-gun

folks insist, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the police will protectyou, this is a safe neighborhood and it cant happen here, where it iseverything from mugging to mass murder.

Anti-gun people who refuse to accept the reality of the proven and very seri-ous dangers of civilian disarmament are using denial to protect themselvesfrom the anxiety of feeling helpless and vulnerable. Likewise, gun ownerswho insist that the government will never confiscate my guns are also usingdenial to protect themselves from the anxiety of contemplating being forciblydisarmed and rendered helpless and vulnerable.

Reaction Formation

Reaction formation is yet another defense mechanism common among theanti-gun folks. Reaction formation occurs when a persons mind turns anunacceptable feeling or desire into its complete opposite.[13] For example, achild who is jealous of a sibling may exhibit excessive love and devotion forthe hated brother or sister.


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Likewise, a person who harbors murderous rage toward his fellow humansmay claim to be a devoted pacifist and refuse to eat meat or even kill a cock-roach.[14] Often such people take refuge in various spiritual disciplines andbelieve that they are superior to less civilized folks who engage in violentbehavior such as hunting, or even target shooting. They may devote them-

selves to animal welfare organizations that proclaim the rights of animalstake precedence over the rights of people.[15] This not only allows the angryperson to avoid dealing with his rage, it allows him actually to harm the peo-ple he hates without having to know he hates them.

This is not meant to disparage the many wonderful people who are pacifists,spiritually inclined, vegetarian, or who support animal welfare. The key issueis not the belief itself, but rather the way in which the person experiencesand lives his beliefs. Sincere practitioners seek to improve themselves, or tobe helpful in a gentle, respectful fashion. They work to persuade otherspeacefully by setting an example of what they believe to be correct behavior.

Sincere pacifists generally exhibit good will towards others, even towardspersons with whom they might disagree on various issues.

Contrast the sincere pacifist or animal lover with the strident, angry personwho wants to ban meat and who believes murdering hunters is justified inorder to save the animals or the person who wants to outlaw self-defenseand believes innocent people have the obligation to be raped and murderedfor the good of society. For example, noted feminist Betty Friedan said thatlethal violence even in self defense only engenders more violence.[16] Thetruly spiritual, pacifist person refrains from forcing others to do what he

believes, and is generally driven by positive emotions, while the angry personfinds socially acceptable ways to harm, abuse, or even kill, his fellow man.

In the case of anti-gun people, reaction formation keeps any knowledge oftheir hatred for their fellow humans out of consciousness, while allowingthem to feel superior to violent gun owners. At the same time, it also allowsthem to cause serious harm, and even loss of life, to others by denying themthe tools necessary to defend themselves. This makes reaction formation veryattractive from a psychological point of view, and therefore very difficult tocounteract.

Defense Mechanisms Are Not Mental Illnesses

Defense mechanisms are normal. All of us use them to some extent, and theiruse does not imply mental illness. Advocates of victim disarmament may bemisguided or uninformed, they may be stupid, or they may be consciouslyintent on evil, but that doesnt necessarily mean they are mentally ill.


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Some defense mechanisms, however, are healthier than others. A safe gener-al rule is that a defense is healthy if it helps you to function better in yourpersonal and professional life, and unhealthy if it interferes with your life,your relationships, or the well-being of others. Young children utilize projec-tion and denial much more commonly than do healthy adults. On the other

hand, if projection is used as a defense mechanism to a very great extent inadult life, the users perception of external reality will be seriously distort-ed.[17]

Defense mechanisms are also frequently combined, so that an anti-gun per-son may use several defense mechanisms simultaneously. For example, myunfortunate correspondent uses projection to create a world in which all hisneighbors want to murder him. As a result, he becomes more angry and fear-ful, and needs to employ even more defense mechanisms to cope. So he usesprojection to attribute his own rage to others, he uses denial that there is anydanger to protect himself from a world where he believes he is helpless and

everyone wants to murder him, and he uses reaction formation to try to con-trol everyone elses life because his own is so horribly out of control.

Also, its important to remember that not all anti-gun beliefs are the result ofdefense mechanisms. Some people suffer from gun phobia[18], an excessiveand completely irrational fear of firearms, usually caused by the anti-gunconditioning theyve been subjected to by the media, politicians, so-callededucators, and others. In some cases, gun phobia is caused by an authenticbad experience associated with a firearm. But with all due respect to Col. JeffCooper, who coined the term hoplophobia to describe anti-gun people,

most anti-gun people do not have true phobias. Interestingly, a person with atrue phobia of guns realizes his fear is excessive or unreasonable,[19] some-thing most anti-gun folks will never admit.

Defense Mechanisms Distort Reality

Because defense mechanisms distort reality in order to avoid unpleasantemotions, the person who uses them has an impaired ability to recognize andaccept reality. This explains why my e-mail correspondent and many otheranti-gun people persist in believing that their neighbors and co- workers willbecome mass murderers if allowed to own firearms.

People who legally carry concealed firearms are actually less violent and lessprone to criminal activity of all kinds than is the general population.[20] Aperson who has a clean record, has passed an FBI background check, under-gone firearms training, and spent several hundred dollars to get a permit anda firearm, is highly unlikely to choose to murder a neighbor. Doing so wouldresult in his facing a police manhunt, a trial, prison, possibly capital punish-


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ment, and the destruction of his family, job, and reputation. Obviously itwould make no sense for such a person to shoot a neighbor except in self-defense. Equally obviously, the anti-gun person who believes that maliciousshootings by ordinary gun owners are likely to occur is not in touch withreality.[21]

The Common Thread: Rage

In my experience, the common thread in anti-gun people is rage. Either anti-gun people harbor more rage than others, or theyre less able to cope with itappropriately. Because they cant handle their own feelings of rage, they areforced to use defense mechanisms in an unhealthy manner. Because theywrongly perceive others as seeking to harm them, they advocate disarmingordinary people who have no desire to harm anyone. So why do anti-gunpeople have so much rage and why are they unable to deal with it in appro-priate ways? Consider that the largest and most hysterical anti-gun groupsinclude disproportionately large numbers of women, African-Americans andJews. And virtually all of the organizations that claim to speak for theseoppressed people are stridently anti-gun. Not coincidentally, among Jews,Blacks and women there are many professional victims who have littlesense of identity outside of their victimhood.

Identity as Victim

If I were to summarize this article in three sentences, they would be:

(1) People who identify themselves as victims harbor excessiveamounts of rage at other people, whom they perceive as not victims.

(2) In order psychologically to deal with this rage, these victims uti-lize defense mechanisms that enable them to harm others in sociallyacceptable ways, without accepting responsibility or suffering guilt,and without having to give up their status as victims.

(3) Gun owners are frequently the targets of professional victimsbecause gun owners are willing and able to prevent their own victim-ization.

Thus the concept of identity as victim is essential. How and why do membersof some groups choose to identify themselves as victims and teach their chil-dren to do the same? While its true that women, Jews, and African- Americanshave historically been victimized, they now participate in American society onan equal basis. And other groups, most notably Asian-Americans, have beenequally victimized, and yet have transcended the eternal victim mentality.


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Why, for example, would a 610 NBA player who makes $10 million a yearsee himself as a victim? Why would a successful, respected, wealthy,Jewish physician regard himself as a victim? Conversely, why might awheelchair bound woman who lives on government disability NOT regardherself as a victim?

I would argue its because the basketball player and the physician believethat their identities are dependent on being victims not because they haveactually been victimized, but because theyre members of groups that claimvictim status. Conversely, the disabled woman was probably raised to believethat she is responsible for her own success or failure.

In fact, many people who have been victims of actual violent crime, or whohave survived war or civil strife, support the right of self-defense. The oldsaying is often correct: a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.

Special Treatment and Misleading Leaders

Two reasons for these groups to insist on victim status seem likely. First, byclaiming victim status, members of these groups can demand (and get) spe-cial treatment through quotas, affirmative action, reparations, and otherpreferential treatment programs.

Second, these people have been indoctrinated to believe that there is noalternative to remaining a victim forever. Their leaders remind them con-stantly that they are mistreated in every imaginable way (most imaginary!),

attribute every one of lifes misfortunes to racism or sexism or hatecrimes, and dream up ever more complex schemes for special treatment andfavors.[22] These leaders are the ones who preach that the entire Black expe-rience is slavery and racism, or that Jewish history before and after theHolocaust is irrelevant,[23] or that happily married women are really victimsof sexual slavery.[24]

Likewise, the NAACP is suing firearms manufacturers to put them out ofbusiness,[25] and is especially opposed to the inexpensive pistols that enablethe poor to defend themselves in gang-ridden inner cities. The Departmentof Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed evicting anyone who

dares to keep a tool of self-defense in any of its crime-infested housing proj-ects. Jewish leaders, especially those in the politically correct Reformbranch, preach that gun control is a solemn religious obligation,[26] con-trary to the teachings of their sacred scriptures and their own history.[27]Law enforcement agencies falsely teach women that they are safest if theydont resist rapists and robbers,[28] while womens organizations advocategun control, thus rendering women and their children defenseless.


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Victimhood is good business for organizations that foster victim status. Asvictims, the members depend upon the organization to protect them, and theorganization in turn relies on members for funding and political power. Inthe interest of self-preservation, these organizations work hard at preserving

hatred and bigotry and at keeping their members defenseless and there-fore dependent.

Anti-Gun Groups Love Victims!

From my observations, pro-victimhood is a feature of all of the anti-gun spe-cial interest groups, not just the ones mentioned here. Every organizationthat supports gun control apparently wants its members to be helpless, terri-fied and totally dependent on someone else to control every aspect of theirlives. It doesnt matter whether its a religious, racial, ethnic, political, social,or charitable group. From Handgun Control, Inc. to the Anti- DefamationLeague to the Million Mom March, they all want you to live in fear. In thisscheme, soccer moms are victims just as much as are inner-city minorities.

If these organizations truly cared about the people for whom they claim tospeak, they would encourage safe and responsible firearms ownership. Theywould help people to learn how to defend themselves and their families sothat they wouldnt have to live in fear. They would tell everyone that one ofthe wonderful things about being an American is that you have the right tokeep and bear arms, the right to defend yourself, and how these rights pre-serve the right to be free.

The Psychological Price of Being a Victim

In our current society, victimhood has many perceived benefits, but there aresome serious drawbacks. Victims tend to see the world as a scary and threat-ening place. They believe that others treat them differently, unfairly, andeven maliciously and that they are helpless to do anything about it. Thisbelief, that they are being mistreated and are helpless to resist, generatestremendous rage, and often, serious depression.

But for victims to show rage openly can be dangerous, if not outright suici-

dal. For example, a battered woman who screams at or hits her attacker mayprovoke worse beatings or even her own murder. And a person who success-fully defends himself loses his status as victim. For someone whose entireidentity is dependent on being a victim, the loss of victim status is just asthreatening as loss of life.

So, unable psychologically to cope with such rage, people who view them-


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selves as victims: (1) use defense mechanisms to displace it into irrationalbeliefs about neighbors killing each other, and the infallibility of police pro-tection, and (2) attempt to regain control by controlling gun owners, whomthey wrongly perceive as the enemy.

Say NO to Being a Victim!

But no one needs to be a victim! Quite simply, its not very easy to victimize aperson who owns and knows how to use a firearm. If most women ownedand carried firearms, rapes and beating would decrease.[29] Thugs who tar-get the elderly and disabled would find honest work once they realized theywere likely to be looking down the barrel of a pistol or shotgun. Its nearlyimpossible to enslave, or herd into concentration camps, large numbers ofarmed people.

Communicating with Anti-Gun People

How can you communicate more effectively with an anti-gun person who isusing unhealthy defense mechanisms? There are no quick and easy answers.But there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Anger and Attacks Do Not Work

Most gun owners, when confronted by an anti-gun person, become angryand hostile. This is understandable, because gun owners increasingly faceridicule, persecution and discrimination. (If you dont believe this, ask your-

self if anyone would seriously introduce legislation to ban African-Americans, women, or Jews from post offices, schools, and churches. Evenconvicted felons arent banned from such places but peaceful armed citi-zens are!) But an angry response is counterproductive.

Its not helpful to attack the person youre trying to persuade. Anything thatmakes him feel more fearful or angry will only intensify his defenses. Yourgoal is to help the person feel safe, and then to provide experiences andinformation that will help him to make informed decisions.

Be Gentle

You should never try to break down a defense mechanism by force.Remember that defense mechanisms protect people from feelings they cannothandle. If you take that protection away, you can cause serious psychologicalharm. And because defense mechanisms operate unconsciously, it wont doany good to show an anti-gun person this article or to point out that hesusing defense mechanisms. Your goal is gently and gradually to help the per-


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son to have a more realistic and rational view of the world. This cannot bedone in one hour or one day.

As you reach out to people in this way, you need to deal with both the illogi-cal thought processes involved and the emotional reactions that anti-gun

people have to firearms. When dealing with illogical thought processes, youare attempting to use reason and logic to convince the anti-gun person thathis perception of other people and his perception of firearms are seriouslyinaccurate. The goal is to help him to understand that armed citizens andfirearms are not threats, and may even save his life.

Reversing Irrational Thoughts

The Mirror Technique

One approach that can be helpful is simply to feed back what the anti-gunperson is telling you, in a neutral, inquisitive way. So, when replying to myanonymous e-mail correspondent (above), I might respond, So you fear ifyour neighbors had guns, they would use them to murder you. What makesyou think that? When you simply repeat what the person has said, and askquestions, you are not directly challenging his defenses. You are holding up amirror to let him see his own views. If he has very strong defenses, he cancontinue to insist that his neighbors want to murder him. However, if hisdefenses are less rigid, he may start to question his position.

Another example might be, Why do you think that your childrens school-

teachers would shoot them? You might follow this up with something like,Why do you entrust your precious children to someone you believe wouldmurder them? Again, you are merely asking questions, and not directlyattacking the person or his defenses.

Of course the anti-gun person might continue to insist that the teachers reallywould harm children, but prohibiting them from owning guns would preventit. So you might ask how using a gun to murder innocent children is differentfrom stabbing children with scissors, assaulting them with baseball bats, orpoisoning the milk and cookies.

Its important to ask open-ended questions that require a response otherthan yes or no. Such questions require the anti-gun person actually tothink about what he is saying. This will help him to re-examine his beliefs. Itmay also encourage him to ask you questions about firearms use and owner-ship.


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The What Would You Do? Technique

Once you have a dialogue going with an anti-gun person, you might want toinsert him into a hypothetical scenario, although doing so is a greater threatto his defenses, and is therefore more risky. You might ask how he would

deal with a difficult or annoying co-worker. He will likely respond that hewould never resort to violence, but other people would, especially if theyhad guns. (Projection again.) You can then ask him who these other peopleare, why they would shoot a co-worker, and what the shooter would gain bydoing so.

Dont try to win the argument. Dont try to embarrass the person youretrying to educate. Remember that no one likes to admit that his deeply heldbeliefs are wrong. No one likes to hear I told you so! Be patient and gentle.If you are arrogant, condescending, hurtful or rude to the anti-gun person,you will only convince him that gun owners are arrogant, hurtful people

who should not be trusted with guns!

Defusing Emotional Reactions

The You Are There Technique

Rational arguments alone are not likely to be successful, especially sincemany people feel rather than think. You also need to deal with the emo-tional responses of the anti-gun person. Remember that most people havebeen conditioned to associate firearms with dead toddlers. So you need to

change the persons emotional responses along with his thoughts.

One way to do this is to put the anti-gun person (or his family) at a hypothet-ical crime scene and ask what he would like to have happen. For example,Imagine your wife is in the parking lot at the supermarket and two mengrab her. One holds a knife to her throat while the other tears her clothes off.If I see this happening and have a gun, what should I do? What would hap-pen next? What if after five minutes, the police still havent arrived?

Just let him answer the questions and mentally walk through the scenario.Dont argue with his answers. You are planting seeds in his mind than can

help change his emotional responses.

The Power of Empathy

Another emotion-based approach that is often more successful is to respondsympathetically to the plight of the anti-gun person.


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Imagine for a moment how you would feel if you believed your neighbors andco-workers wanted to kill you and your family, and you could do nothing atall about it except to wait for the inevitable to occur.

Not very pleasant, is it?

This is the world in which opponents of armed self-defense live. All of ushave had times in our lives when we felt different and had to contend withhostile schoolmates, co- workers, etc. So we need to invoke our own compas-sion for these terrified people. Say something like, It must be awful to live infear of being assaulted by your own neighbors. I remember what it was likewhen I was the only (Jew, Mormon, African-American, Republican) in my(class, football team, workplace) and even then I didnt think anyone wasgoing to kill me. Its essential that you sincerely feel some compassion andempathy; if youre glib or sarcastic, this wont work.

Using empathy works in several ways. First, it defuses a potentially hostileinteraction. Anti-gun people are used to being attacked, not understood, byadvocates of gun rights. Instead of an evil, gun-toting, extremist, you arenow a sympathetic, fellow human being. This may also open the door for afriendly conversation, in which you can each discover that your opponent isa person with whom you have some things in common. You may even createan opportunity to dispel some of the misinformation about firearms and self-defense that is so prevalent.

This empathy technique is also useful for redirecting, or ending, a heated

argument that has become hostile and unproductive. It allows you to escapefrom the dead end of guns save lives vs. the only reason to have a gun is tomurder children. With empathy you can reframe the argument entirely.Instead of arguing about whether more lives are saved or lost as a result ofgun ownership, you can comment on how terrifying it must be to live in acountry where 80 million people own guns solely for the purpose of mur-dering children.

You should not expect any of these approaches to work immediately; theywont. With rare exceptions, the anti-gun person is simply not going to seethe light, thank you profusely, and beg you to take him shooting. What you

are doing is putting tiny chinks into the armor of the persons defenses, orplanting seeds that may someday develop into a more open mind or a morerational analysis. This process can take months or years. But it does work!

Corrective Experiences

Perhaps the most effective way to dissolve defense mechanisms, however, is


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by providing corrective experiences[30]. Corrective experiences are experi-ences that allow a person to learn that his ideas about gun owners and gunsare incorrect in a safe and non-threatening way. To provide a correctiveexperience, you first allow the person to attempt to project his incorrect ideasonto you. Then, you demonstrate that he is wrong by your behavior, not by

arguing.

For example, the anti-gun person will unconsciously attempt to provoke youby claiming that gun owners are uneducated rednecks, or by treating you asif you are an uneducated redneck. If you get angry and respond by callinghim a stupid, liberal, socialist, you will prove his point. However, if youcasually talk about your M.B.A., your trip to the Shakespeare festival, yourvegetable garden, or your daughters ballet recital, you will provide him withthe opportunity to correct his misconceptions.

If you have used the above techniques, then you have already provided one

corrective experience. You have demonstrated to the frightened, anti-gunperson that gun owners are not abusive, scary, dangerous and sub-humanmonsters, but normal, everyday people who care about their families, friendsand even strangers.

As many gun owners have already discovered, the most important correctiveexperiences involve actually exposing the fearful person to a firearm. It isalmost never advisable to tell someone that you carry a concealed firearm,but there are ways to use your own experience favorably.

For example, if youre dealing with an anti-gun person with whom you inter-act regularly and have a generally good relationship a coworker, neighbor,church member, etc. you might indirectly refer to concealed carry. Youshould never say anything like Im carrying a gun right now and you canteven tell, especially because in some states that would be considered illegal,threatening behavior. But you might consider saying something like, Isometimes carry a firearm, and youve never seemed to be uncomfortablearound me. Whether to disclose this information is an individual decision,and you should consider carefully other consequences before using thisapproach.

First-hand Experience

Ultimately, your goal is to take the anti-gun person shooting. Some peoplewill accept an invitation to accompany you to the range, but others are toofrightened to do so, and will need some preliminary experience.

First, you want to encourage the anti-gun person to have some contact with afirearm in whatever way feels most comfortable to him. Many people seem to


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believe that firearms have minds of their own and shoot people of their ownvolition. So you might want to start by inviting him simply to look at andthen handle an unloaded firearm. This also provides you the opportunity toshow the inexperienced person how to tell whether a firearm is loaded and toteach him the basic rules of firearms safety.

Encourage the newcomer to ask questions and remember that your role is topresent accurate information in a friendly, responsible and non-threateningway. This is a good time to offer some reading material on the benefits offirearms ownership. But be careful not to provide so much information thatits overwhelming. And remember this is not the time to launch into anti-government rants, the New World Order, conspiracy theories, or any kind ofpolitical talk!

Next, you can invite your friend to accompany you to the shooting range.(And if youre going to trust each other with loaded guns, you should consid-

er yourselves friends!) Assure him that no one will force him to shoot a gunand hes free just to watch. Let him know in advance what he will experienceand what will be expected of him. This includes such things as the need foreye and ear protection, a cap, appropriate clothing, etc. Make sure you have afirearm appropriate for your guest should s/he decide to try shooting. Thismeans a lower caliber firearm that doesnt have too much recoil. If yourguest is a woman, make sure the firearm will fit her appropriately. Manyrifles have stocks that are too long for small women, and double-stack semi-autos are usually too large for a womans hand.

Remember that just visiting the range can be a corrective experience. Yourguest will learn that gun owners are disciplined, responsible, safety-con-scious, courteous, considerate, and follow the rules. He will see people of allages, from children to the elderly, male and female, enjoying an activitytogether. He will not see a single beer-swilling redneck waving a firearm inpeoples faces.

In my experience, most people who visit a range will decide they do want totry shooting. Remember to make sure your guest understands all the safetyrules and range rules before allowing him to handle a firearm. If you dontfeel competent to teach a newcomer to shoot, ask an instructor or range mas-

ter to assist. Remember to provide lots of positive feedback and encourage-ment. If youre lucky, youll recruit a new firearms enthusiast.

But even if your guest decides that shooting is not for him, he will havelearned many valuable lessons. He will know basic rules of firearms safety,and how to clear a firearm should he need to do so. This may well save hislife someday. He will know that guns do not fire unless a person pulls thetrigger. He will know that gun owners are friendly, responsible people, not


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very different from him. Even if he chooses not to fire a gun ever again, hewill be less likely to fear and persecute gun owners. And who knows, a fewmonths or years later he may decide to become a gun owner.

Why These Techniques Do Not Always Work

You should remember that you will not be successful with all anti-gun peo-ple. Some people are so terrified and have such strong defenses, that its notpossible for someone without professional training to get through. Some peo-ple have their minds made up and refuse to consider opening them. Othersmay concede that what you say makes sense, but are unwilling to challengethe forces of political correctness. A few may have had traumatic experienceswith firearms from which they have not recovered.

You will also not be successful with the anti-gun ideologues, people likeCharles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein. These people have made a consciouschoice to oppose firearms ownership and self-defense. They almost alwaysgain power, prestige, and money from their anti-gun politics. They are notinterested in the facts or in saving lives. They know the facts and understandthe consequences of their actions, and will happily sacrifice innocent peopleif it furthers their selfish agenda. Do not use these techniques on such peo-ple. They only respond to fears of losing the power, prestige and money thatthey covet.[31]

Conclusion

By better understanding advocates of civilian disarmament, and by learningand practicing some simple techniques to deal with their psychologicaldefenses, you will be much more effective in your efforts to communicatewith anti-gun p

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Grassroots Action Guide for Gun Owners

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